2012 review: notable deaths in music | Music | The Guardian Music blog 2012 review: notable deaths in music See what the Guardian had to say about over 30 notable musicians who died this year - from Whitney and Adam Yauch to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Dave Brubeck and Ravi Shankar Otis with his band in 1950. Photograph: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Johnny Otis (28 December 1921 – 17 January 2012) The bandleader Johnny Otis, who has died aged 90, was one of the first white American musicians to cross the racial divide, aligning himself with the black community as a teenager and from then on regarding himself – and being treated as – a black man. He attracted many nicknames – among them the Duke Ellington of Watts, the Reverend Hand Jive and the Godfather of Rhythm and Blues – and distinguished himself as a television host, political activist, preacher, cartoonist, painter, chef, record producer, talent scout, DJ, sculptor, writer and organic farmer.

Read the full obituary Etta James (25 January 1938 – 20 January 2012) Etta James , who has died aged 73 after suffering from leukaemia, was among the most critically acclaimed and influential female singers of the past 50 years, even if she never achieved huge popular success. From her first R&B hit, in 1955, the risqué Roll With Me Henry – cut when she was only 15 – through a series of classic 1960s soul sides (the lush ballad At Last, the raucous house rocker Tell Mama and the emotional agony of I'd Rather Go Blind), then a series of critically acclaimed 1970s and 1980s albums that won her a broad rock audience, to more recent albums of jazz vocals, James proved capable of developing and changing as an artist. Read the full obituary Whitney Houston (9 August 1963 – 11 February 2012) Few pop singers have been gifted with a voice as glorious as Whitney Houston's, and even fewer have treated their talent with the frustrating indifference she did toward the end of her life.

She sold more records and received more awards than almost any other female pop star of the 20th century, but spent most of her last years mired in a drug addiction that sapped her will to sing and left her in a shambolic state. Dory Previn on stage in the late 1970s. Photograph: Redferns Dory Previn (22 October 1925 – 14 February 2012) The singer-songwriter Dory Previn, who has died aged 86, gained a significant following in the 1970s with her dark and honest view of life that drew on a troubled childhood, marriage difficulties and periods of mental illness. By then she had gained three Oscar nominations for lyrics – early signs of recognition in a career that soon took her on quite a different path. Read the full obituary Davy Jones (30 December 1945 – 29 February 2012) Despite their obvious debt to the Beatles, the Monkees were one of the most successful and well-loved pop groups of the late 1960s.

Their only British member was Davy Jones , a former child actor, who has died after a heart attack, aged 66. Earl Scruggs. Photograph: Gems/Redferns Earl Scruggs (6 January 1924 – 28 March 28) If Bill Monroe was the architect of bluegrass music, the banjo player Earl Scruggs, who has died aged 88, was his chief construction worker. Scruggs, who played with Monroe for three momentous years in the late 1940s, devised a picking method in which the thumb and two fingers of the right hand led a breathtaking dance, its leaps and rolls transforming the sound of the rural stringband into an intricately engineered high-performance music. Critics would call him the Segovia of the five-string banjo, the Paganini of bluegrass. Jim Marshall, creator of the Marshall amp, in 2005.

Photograph: Damien Maguire/Rex Features Jim Marshall (29 July 1923 – 5 April 2012) When Jim Marshall, who has died aged 88 of cancer, opened a music store in 1960, his customers included some of rock'n'roll's most prominent guitarists. They wanted a new type of amplifier. Marshall seized the opportunity and built it for them. His work would earn him the nickname the Father of Loud. Levon Helm in 1968. Photograph: Elliott Landy/Redferns Levon Helm (26 May 26 1940 – 19 April 2012) A shorthand way of describing Levon Helm , who has died of cancer aged 71, would be as the drummer with the Band, who were Bob Dylan's backing group as he made the leap from folk to rock, and then forged a hugely influential career of their own in the late 1960s and 70s.

This would have made Helm eminent enough, but his career stretched in many other directions, as drummer with the rock'n'roller Ronnie Hawkins, solo artist, prolific film actor and, most recently, host of the all-star Midnight Ramble Sessions. He was an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, and a fine and distinctive singer. Bert Weedon. Photograph: Keystone/Getty Images Bert Weedon (10 May 1920 – 20 April 2012) The manual Play in a Day was the bible for generations of budding guitarists in the 1950s and 1960s. Its author was Bert Weedon, an unassuming dance-band musician whose unpatronising approach made him Britain's earliest expert on the instrumental niceties of rock'n'roll. Weedon, who has died aged 91, was among the first British musicians to incorporate into his style the innovations of American country and western, boogie and rock'n'roll guitarists.

Read the full obituary Adam Yauch (5 August 1964 – 4 May 2012) In his late teens, Adam Yauch - "MCA" of the Beastie Boys – did not look the type to be an effective rapper. When they met for the first time, Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC suspected that he might be an actor put up by the TV show Candid Camera. How else could he account for a white performer who, along with his bandmates Mike "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, coupled the carefree character of punk with the clownish one-upmanship of hip-hop? Read the full obituary Donna Summer (31 December 1948 – 17 May 2012) Though she will be remembered for disco classics such as Love to Love You Baby and I Feel Love, Donna Summer , who has died of cancer aged 63, notched up many achievements in a career lasting more than 40 years. She recorded three multi-platinum albums and three consecutive double albums topping the US chart.

She reached a commercial peak in the late 1970s with a string of chart-topping singles, including a duet with Barbra Streisand on No More Tears (Enough Is Enough), and was able to bounce back from a subsequent slump with hit records in succeeding decades. She also branched out into television, with appearances on America's Got Talent and the reality show Platinum Hit. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau performing Benjamin Britten's War Requiem in Coventry Cathedral, 1962 Photograph: Erich Auerbach/Getty Images Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012) Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau , the distinguished German baritone, has died aged 86. His protean career was surely unique, as he sang and recorded more vocal music than any who came before. In particular, he broached more lieder (German songs) than any of his predecessors of the genre, his recordings running into the hundreds. Many of these songs he recorded several times over: for instance, he made no fewer than eight recordings of Schubert's Winterreise.

Read the full obituary Robin Gibb (22 December 1949 – 20 May 2012) Robin Gibb , who has died aged 62, was one of the three brothers who made up the international chart-topping group the Bee Gees. They were best known for their disco hits of the 1970s, which included Stayin' Alive, Night Fever and Jive Talkin', but enjoyed success in every decade from the 1960s to the 2000s. Robin also charted intermittently as a solo artist. He released six solo albums between 1970 and 2006, and scored a British No 1 single as recently as 2009 with a new version of the Bee Gees' song Islands in the Stream, for Comic Relief. Doc Watson in 1986. Photograph: Reuters Doc Watson (3 March 1923 – 29 May 29 2012) For almost 50 years, Doc Watson, who has died aged 89, was the most illustrious name in traditional American folk music.

A superb, original guitarist and a singer of warmth and simplicity, he set countless musicians on the road to careers in folk music. Probably no folk performer of his time has inspired greater admiration and affection. Bob Welch in 1979. Photograph: Rex /Lynne Mcafee Bob Welch (31 August 1945 – 7 June 2012) The pop band Fleetwood Mac have become almost as renowned for their crises as their music. The guitarist and songwriter Bob Welch, who has taken his own life aged 65, was a steadying influence during a period of exceptional turmoil in the group's history. He was their first American member and paved the way for Fleetwood Mac's biggest successes of the late 1970s and 1980s. Andy Hamilton performing at Meltdown 2009 Photograph: Matt Kent/Redferns Andy Hamilton (26 March 1918 – 3 June 2012) In 1949, the Jamaican tenor saxophonist Andy Hamilton, who has died aged 94, faced a dilemma.

As a musician he had reached the top, entertaining Noël Coward and friends at the Titchfield hotel in Port Antonio, then hired as a bandleader by the actor Errol Flynn for parties on his yacht, but his personal life was in crisis and he needed to escape. He joined others of his generation by moving to Britain, where he became a celebrated jazzman and prominent figure in the fight for Caribbean self-determination. Mehdi Hassan. Photograph: Navras Records Mehdi Hassan (18 July 1927 – 13 June 2012) Mehdi Hassan, who has died aged 84, was the Indian subcontinent's outstanding male exponent of the ghazal, a form of sung Urdu lyric verse, set to the appropriate raga melodies. Urdu poetry, which springs from the Persian, is filled with pathos, yearning, political and social injustice, loss, unrequited love and pleasure. Hassan evoked these with rare mastery, which is why devotees and eager students flocked to hear him from far and wide.

It is claimed that he sang more than 50,000 ghazals during his lifetime, becoming known as the "emperor of the ghazal". Lol Coxhill performing at the London Jazz Festival in 2006. Photograph: Photoshot/Getty Images Lol Coxhill (19 September 1932 – 10 July 2012) The saxophonist Lol Coxhill, who has died aged 79, was one of the great characters of British music – generous, gifted and amiably eccentric. He had long been a stalwart of the European jazz and improvised music scene, but he reached all kinds through his collaborations with a wide range of music – Afro-Cuban, R&B, soul, progressive, punk, minimalist, electronic and beyond – while remaining recognisably himself. Kitty Wells.

Photograph: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Kitty Wells (30 August 1919 – 16 July 2012) Kitty Wells, who has died aged 92, made a place for the female country singer in the postwar era, opening doors through which would follow Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton and many other women determined to match their male counterparts all the way. Piercing and penetrating, Wells's was the quintessential country voice of desolation and atonement. Scott McKenzie, centre, poses with the Mamas And the Papas in London in 1967. Photograph: Worth/AP Scott McKenzie (10 January 1939 – 18 August 18 2012) Scott McKenzie, whose 1967 hit San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair) became an anthem for the 1967 Summer of Love has died at his home in Los Angeles, aged 73. Brill combination ... lyricist Hal David (right) with composer Burt Bacharach.

Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis Hal David (25 May 1921 – 1 September 1) By contrast with his songwriter partner Burt Bacharach, whose suavely youthful looks belonged in a 1960s Martini ad, the lyricist Hal David , who has died at the age of 91, resembled a president of a suburban Rotary Club: a conservative, suit-and-tie figure from an earlier generation, modest and unassuming in conversation. But it was David's words as much as Bacharach's melodies that captured an audience for such songs as Anyone Who Had a Heart, I Say a Little Prayer, Walk on By, (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me, Alfie, Trains and Boats and Planes, (They Long to Be) Close to You, Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head and Do You Know the Way to San Jose? Joe South in the mid-60s.

Photograph: Frank Driggs Collection/Getty Joe South (28 February 1940 – September 5 2012) When people think of Joe South, they generally think first of Games People Play, one of the most successful protest-related songs of the late 1960s, with its distinctive electric sitar accompaniment, played by the singer and composer himself, and a bitingly prescient lyric directed at pseudo-hippy types who "while away the hours / In their ivory towers / Till they're covered up with flowers / In the back of a black limousine." Read the full obituary Andy Williams (3 December 1927 – 25 September 2012) Through the popularity of his television show and his mellifluous tenor voice, Andy Williams , who has died aged 84 after suffering from bladder cancer, was one of the best-loved figures in American popular culture. In a career that spanned eight decades, he sold more than 100m albums. Ronald Reagan described Williams's distinctive voice as a "national treasure". Big Jim Sullivan in 2007.

Photograph: Hayley Madden/Redferns Big Jim Sullivan (14 February 1941 – 2 October 2012) The sound of British pop music in the 1960s was largely the creation of unsung recording-session musicians who accompanied the solo singers of the era and were frequently enlisted to improve the efforts of well-known pop groups. The principal guitarists of this elite team were Jimmy Page (later of Led Zeppelin) and Big Jim Sullivan, who has died aged 71 of complications from heart disease and diabetes. Sullivan played on more than 50 British No 1 hits and toured and appeared on television with Tom Jones in the early 1970s. David S Ware. Photograph: Jazzsign/Lebrecht Music & Arts/Corbis David S Ware (7 November 1949 – 18 October 2012) David S Ware, the saxophonist whose monumental sound matched his physical stature, has died aged 62 following complications from a kidney transplant he underwent in 2009.

Ware, who was mentored by Sonny Rollins and worked with the free-jazz piano virtuoso Cecil Taylor, was one of the few structure-busting radicals in jazz history to reach beyond the music's cognoscenti without compromise. Hans Werner Henze at the Wigmore Hall, London, in 1994. Photograph: Neil Libbert Hans Werner Henze (1 July 1926 – 27 October 2012) Hans Werner Henze , who has died aged 86, created an outstanding body of musical works with theatrical and literary dimensions in the opera house, the concert hall and beyond. German-born, but long resident in Italy, he was continental Europe's leading composer of operas in the period following the second world war, during and beyond the decades when Benjamin Britten held the equivalent position in British musical life. Terry Callier.

Photograph: Lionel Flusin/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images Terry Callier (24 May 1945 – 27 October 2012) From his beginnings in jazz, folk and soul music onwards, the singer and guitarist Terry Callier, who has died aged 67 after suffering from throat cancer, struggled to find the popular recognition his varied talents deserved. Nonetheless he released a string of enduring and influential albums and, during the 1990s, enjoyed a creative rebirth in the UK when his supple, soulful music was feted by the acid-jazz movement and he collaborated with Beth Orton and Massive Attack. Elliott Carter. Photograph: Andrew Testa Elliott Carter (11 December 1908 – 5 November 2012) The American composer Elliott Carter, who has died aged 103, was, apart from Pierre Boulez, the last survivor of the heroic age of postwar musical modernism, and perhaps its greatest exponent. In the 1950s, when Carter wrote his first masterpieces in his new self-made, fabulously intricate language, that age was in full flood.

By the time he wrote his playful late masterpieces, it had long since passed into history. Dave Brubeck at the Newport jazz festival in 1981. Photograph: Paul Mello/AP Dave Brubeck (6 December 1920 – 5 December 2012) When the end of the 20th century came, some aspects of jazz began to be given the status of a classical form. In the reassessments that followed, the work of the American pianist and composer Dave Brubeck , who has died aged 91, was a major beneficiary. He was a figure simultaneously feted and mugged by ecstatic fans and infuriated purists during the years between 1954 and 1966 – the time when his catchiest and most deftly composed records were pop hits. Composer Jonathan Harvey. Photograph: Rex Features Jonathan Harvey (3 May 1939 – 4 December 2012) The composer Jonathan Harvey, who has died aged 73 after suffering from motor neurone disease, was unique in the way he put digital technology and a strenuously rational approach to music at the service of a deeply spiritual message.

In terms of international profile and honours, Harvey's status was almost on a par with his slightly older colleagues Harrison Birtwistle and Peter Maxwell Davies. While they have always been in the news, thanks to their pugnaciously unfashionable views and hard-edged modernism, Harvey's rise was so inconspicuous that even the musical world seemed not to realise just how eminent he had become. Read the full obituary Ravi Shankar (7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) Ravi Shankar , who has died aged 92 after undergoing heart surgery, was the Indian maestro who put the sitar on the musical map. George Harrison called him "the godfather of world music" and it was Shankar's vision that brought the sounds of the raga into western consciousness. He was thus the first performer and composer to substantially bridge the musical gap between India and the west.

Bert Weedon; British guitarist wrote ‘Play in a Day’ manual - The Boston Globe Bert Weedon; British guitarist wrote ‘Play in a Day’ manual (Getty Images/file 2005) Add a personal message:(80 character limit) Your E-mail: Sending your article Your article has been sent. Bert Weedon, a British guitarist whose popular “Play in a Day’’ instructional manual introduced a generation of rock-and-roll stars to the power of the guitar, died April 20 at his home in Beaconsfield, England. He was 91. For more from BostonGlobe.com, sign up or log in below To continue, please sign up or log in to BostonGlobe.com Access the full articles and quality reporting of The Boston Globe at BostonGlobe.com Sign up Passages in 2012: Notable deaths in music Passages in 2012: Notable deaths in music Profiles of big names and noteworthy characters in music who died this year. Post to Facebook Passages in 2012: Notable deaths in music Profiles of big names and noteworthy characters in music who died this year.

Check out this story on USATODAY.com: CancelSend A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. 5 To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs Passages in 2012: Notable deaths in music What should you remember from the year that was? 2012 was full of triumph and tragedy. Here's a look back at the year that was. Sponsored by NEWS Dishonesty on display Cheaters never prosper, except for making headlines in 2012 , from the David Petraeus extramarital affair to accusations of insider trading at Goldman Sachs. Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY NEWS The year in photos Smiles to tears, public moments to private glimpses. These were the best News photos of 2012 . Getty Images NEWS Passages in 2012 This year, we bid farewell to a musical superstar, "Stormin' Norman," the first man on the moon and "America's oldest teenager." Diageo MONEY 'Sin' wins on stock market Our vices topped the markets , as shares in gun, alcohol and gambling companies all soared in 2012.

Top companies such as Toyota and Honda thrived , while the hybrid vehicle joined the mainstream. AP Lance Armstrong, Melky Cabrera, Penn State and 'Bountygate' represented the dark side of Sports . Detroit Free Press SPORTS On top of their game LeBron gets his first ring, Michael Phelps becomes a legend and baseball greets its first Triple Crown winner in 45 years. These were the best moments in Sports . AP LIFE Couples rule Brad and Angelina get engaged. William and Kate prepare for their first child. A look at the top celebrity headlines of the year . Getty Images LIFE Celebrity scandals The 2012 spotlight wasn't kind to stars such as Kristen Stewart, Kirstie Alley and Halle Berry. Warner Bros. Pictures LIFE The year's top movies TECH Apple dominates TECH Just the right touch From music streaming to navigation to handy how-to guides, these were the best apps for smartphones and tablets . AP TRAVEL Great airport perks Better food, booze on the go and yoga room were among the best amenities featured at airports in 2012 . Tory Hargro, USA TODAY USA TODAY Published 6:05 p.m. ET Dec.

28, 2012 | Updated 7:36 p.m. ET Dec. 28, 2012 Robin Gibb, singer with the legendary British band the Bee Gees, died on May 20 after a lengthy battle against cancer, his family said. (Photo: Jacques Collet, AFP/Getty Images) Richard Adler, 90, composer and lyricist who won Tony Awards for co-writing songs for such hit Broadway musicals as The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. He produced President Kennedy's birthday celebration that featured a breathy Marilyn Monroe. Cause not given, June 21. Maurice Andre, 78, trumpet virtuoso who was ubiquitous as a soloist with major orchestras and on hundreds of recordings. He specialized in Baroque repertory, notably the work of Bach, Handel and Telemann. Cause not given, Feb. 25. Bob Babbitt, 74, prominent Motown studio musician and Funk Brothers member whose bass-playing pounded through the Temptations hit Ball of Confusion and Marvin Gaye's Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology).

Babbitt played on more than 200 top-40 hits, including Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight and the Pips and The Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Brain cancer, July 16. Fontella Bass, 72, the soul singer whose Rescue Me was a hit in 1965; she later became a Grammy-winning gospel singer. Heart attack, Dec. 26. STORY: Passages 2012: Moments define their time and ours Dave Brubeck, 91, whose smooth approach to jazz brought it into the mainstream during the 1950s and 1960s. His Time Out was the first million-selling jazz album. No cause given, Dec. 5. Pete Cosey, 68, innovative guitarist who brought his distinctive distorted sound to recordings with Miles Davis, Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters. Cosey took a creative approach to stringing and tuning his guitars, and he liberally applied the distortion pedal to his licks. Complications from surgery, May 30.

Nick Curran, 35, guitarist who played with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, the Lowlifes and the Flash Boys, among other groups. In 2008, Curran performed four songs on the HBO show True Blood. Tongue cancer, Oct. 6. Donald "Duck" Dunn, 70, bass player, songwriter and a member of Booker T. and the MGs and the Blues Brothers band. Dunn performed on recordings with Eric Clapton, Neil Young and many others and specialized in blues, gospel and soul. He played himself in the 1980 hit movie The Blues Brothers. In his sleep, May 13. Clare Fischer, 83, two-time Grammy-winning composer who wrote scores for television and movies. He is best known for his arrangements for Prince, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Branford Marsalis and Usher. Complications from a heart attack, Jan. 26. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, 86, renowned German baritone who performed for more than five decades on stages in Berlin, Vienna, London and New York. His recordings of works by composers such as Mozart, Schubert and Strauss set benchmarks for generations of singers.

In his sleep, May 18. Robin Gibb, 62, the original lead singer of the Bee Gees, the family singing act that first gained attention in the '60s for Beatles-esque pop tunes, but moved into orchestral rock and then the soaring disco that made them superstars in the late '70s. Their contributions made 1977's Saturday Night Fever soundtrack a No. 1 album for 24 weeks. Colorectal cancer, May 20. OBIT: Robin Gibb of Bee Gees dies at 62 Marvin Hamlisch, 68, one of the most prolific, enduringly popular composers for film and Broadway. The youngest student ever accepted into New York's prestigious Juilliard School — he began studies there at age 7 — he won four Emmys and Grammys and three Oscars. He was best known for his work on the beloved musical A Chorus Line and movies The Way We Were and The Sting. Unspecified illness, died Aug. 6. Levon Helm, 71, who as a drummer backed legendary musicians and then became a star himself with The Band and as a solo artist.

On the strength of timeless songs such as Up on Cripple Creek and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Helm sang lead and drummed on all three), The Band earned enshrinement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. From 1980 to 2008, Helm acted in more than a dozen films, most notably as Loretta Lynn's father in Coal Miner's Daughter. Throat cancer, April 19. James "Red" Holloway, 84, noted saxophonist who performed with the likes of Billie Holiday, B.B. King, Lionel Hampton and Aretha Franklin. Kidney failure and a stroke, Feb. 25. Michael Hossack, 65, longtime Doobie Brothers drummer whose work is heard on the hits Listen to the Music and China Grove. Hossack played with the group from 1971 to 1973 and rejoined in 1987. Cancer, March 12. (Photo: Randee St.

Nicholas) Whitney Houston, 48, one of the MTV Generation's biggest superstars sold more than 170 million records in a career cut short by marital troubles and drug abuse. Her commanding presence and soaring voice fueled top films such as The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale, and 11 No. 1 hits. Drowned in a bathtub, Feb. 11. OBIT: Whitney Houston, musical superstar, dies Etta James, 73, the rhythm and blues icon whose 50-year career was marked by powerful songs, such as her signature At Last, and an often tumultuous personal life. The three-time Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was beloved for her raw passion, ribald humor and brutal honesty. Leukemia, Jan. 20 OBIT: Singing legend Etta James dies at 73 Davy Jones, 66, British-born, 5-foot-3 singer who cast a long pop-culture shadow as the lead of The Monkees, the nation's first made-for-TV boy band that spawned hummable staples such as Daydream Believer and Last Train to Clarksville. Heart attack, Feb. 29.

Jon Lord, 71, keyboardist for Deep Purple and the hard-rock group Whitesnake. Lord co-wrote some of Deep Purple's most famous tunes, including Smoke on the Water. He went on to play with Whitesnake in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Pulmonary embolism and pancreatic cancer, July 16. Tony Martin, 98, baritone who appeared in movie musicals from the 1930s to the 1950s. Among his hit recordings were I Get Ideas and To Each His Own. He was featured in 25 films, including Banjo on My Knee and The Ziegfeld Girl. He was married first to Alice Faye and later to Cyd Charisse for 60 years. Natural causes, July 27. Dorothy McGuire, 84, singer who teamed with sisters Christine and Phyllis for a string of hits in the 1950s and '60s as the McGuire Sisters. They earned six gold records for hits including 1957's Sugartime.

The sisters were known for their sweet harmonies and identical outfits and hairdos. Parkinson's disease, Sept. 7. Scott McKenzie, 73, singer who performed the anthem for the 1960s counterculture movement, San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair). McKenzie also co-wrote Kokomo, a No. 1 hit for The Beach Boys in 1988. Complications from Guillain-Barre syndrome, Aug. 18. Patricia Neway, 92, soprano who excelled in avant-garde operas and on Broadway, where she won a 1960 Tony Award for her performance as the Mother Abbess in the original production of The Sound of Music. Congestive heart failure, Jan. 24. Johnny Otis, 90, singer, bandleader and disc jockey whose best-known song was 1958's Willie and the Hand Jive. A white man born in a black L.A. neighborhood, he dedicated his life to promoting R&B music to mainstream audiences. Cause not given, Jan. 17. Louisiana Red, 79, respected slide guitarist and itinerant bluesman.

He recorded in Detroit in the early 1950s under the pseudonyms Rocky Fuller and Playboy Fuller. His recordings Red's Dream (1963) and I'm Too Poor to Die (1964) were regional blues hits. Complications from a stroke, Feb. 25. (Photo: Reed Saxon, AP) Jenni Rivera, 43, Mexican-American singer and reality television star known as "the Diva of Banda," a brassy, percussive style of pop music. Plane crash, Dec. 9. Earl Scruggs, 88, Country Music Hall of Famer who popularized a complex, three-fingered style of playing banjo that transformed the instrument, inspired nearly every banjo player who followed and became a central element in bluegrass music. He and band partner Lester Flatt reached popular audiences with Foggy Mountain Breakdown and The Ballad of Jed Clampett, the theme song for The Beverly Hillbillies TV show. Natural causes, March 28. Ravi Shankar, 92, whose hypnotic Indian sitar was embraced by the Beatles and the '60s counterculture.

He played at the Monterey Pop Festival, at Woodstock and helped organize the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971, the first mega-music relief event. His daughter is singer Norah Jones. He died a few days after heart surgery, Dec. 11. Robert B. Sherman, 86, half of a sibling partnership that put songs into the mouths of nannies, Cockney chimney sweeps and jungle animals. Sherman and his brother, Richard, composed scores for films including The Jungle Book, Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. They also wrote It's a Small World (After All). They won two Academy Awards for Walt Disney's 1964 smash Mary Poppins — best score and best song, Chim Chim Cher-ee. Cause not given, March 5. Joe South, 72, Grammy-winning singer/songwriter who performed hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s such as Games People Play and Walk a Mile in My Shoes. He also penned songs for other artists, including Down in the Boondocks. Heart attack, Sept. 5.

(Photo: Ethan Miller, Getty Images) Donna Summer, 63: Reigned as the queen of disco in the late '70s, when the music itself ruled the dance floor and the charts. The singer with flowing locks won five Grammys as she commanded listeners to move with sultry vocals that rode pulsing rhythms and lyrics that promised a "last chance for romance." Cancer, May 17. OBIT: Donna Summer, queen of disco, dies at 63 Joe Thompson, 93, much-honored fiddler whose music offered a link to an almost-vanished tradition of African-American string bands that predated the blues and even the Civil War. Thompson's awards included a 2007 National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Pneumonia, Feb. 20. Doc Watson, 89, folk-music icon who was blind from infancy yet played the acoustic guitar with such pure precision that Bob Dylan once compared his picking to "water running." Born Arthel Lane Watson, he picked up the nickname "Doc" at the suggestion of an audience member at a radio broadcast when in his teens. Complications from a fall, May 29.

Bert Weedon, 91, British guitarist whose popular "Play in a Day" instructional manual introduced a generation to the power of the guitar. Weedon had also performed with such renowned jazz artists as Stéphane Grappelli and George Shearing and accompanied singers Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland. Long illness, April 20. Kitty Wells, 92, the "Queen of Country Music" who blazed the trail for female performers in the genre. Wells became a groundbreaking force in country music with her breakthrough 1952 hit, It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels, the first No. 1 hit by a solo female singer on the country charts. She was the country music industry's top female vocalist for 14 straight years. Stroke, July 16. Andy Williams, 84, the Moon River singer who charmed fans for decades with his smooth crooning, easygoing manner and boyish good looks and became one of America's most beloved entertainers. During the 1970s, his TV Christmas specials became a holiday staple. Bladder cancer, Sept. 25.

Adam "MCA" Yauch, 47, who as one of the Beastie Boys urged everybody to "make some noise" and "fight for your right to party" in the mid-1980s. They broke down racial barriers and helped rap migrate into America's mainstream. Salivary gland cancer, May 4. 39 CONNECT TWEET LINKEDIN 5 COMMENTEMAILMORE Read or Share this story: NEVER MISS OUT Life Be a pop culture maven. Get the news, reviews and the juiciest celebrity stories that keep you in the know, Monday-Friday.

Question: Which guitarist who wrote the manual "Play in a Day" died in April 2012?
Answer: BERT WEEDON